The Modern League
by MechaUltimaZero
Summary: Due to mounting threats to world security, Nick Fury of SHIELD has been authorized to create a new LXG: Dante, Methos, Selene, Hellboy, Rorschach, and Agent 86. This fic is discontinued, but the author is taking auditions for anyone else to continue it.


**The Modern League**

_The Vampire_

All she could think about was how badly she hurt inside.

For nearly all of her life, she'd been living a lie.

The man she had thought of as a second father, she now knew, had in fact killed her family—had killed his own daughter because of who she'd loved.

At her perch on the topmost point of the St. Paul's Cathedral, no one who could see her at all would be able to see her tears; the rain made certain of that.

She knew that her pain would consume her unless she could get over it, but she could barely even acknowledge it, let alone deal with it.

Checking her watch, she noted the time as 11:54. That man with an offer had told her to arrive at the bell tower six minutes later.

Wiping away her tears, she set her face into a cold mask of detachment before leaping into the air with all the unnatural grace of the vampire.

Grabbing onto various handholds, using parts of the roof as springboards, and using every iota of her agility, she moved across the Cathedral until she leapt through the open bell tower window, landing in a kneeling position.

A voice from the shadows—the man who had contacted her earlier—said, "As always, you're right on time… Selene."

Standing up, the vampire warrior asked, "Is there any major reason I shouldn't kill you right now?"

Shifting just enough to reveal the outline of his face, the man said, "I have a proposition for you… something to keep your mind off of your troubles, perhaps? Selene, you try to pass yourself of as a heartless killer, but I know the truth: you care, and you want to hide it."

Fingering the pistol at her side, Selene told him, "Get to the point, before I put a bullet through your brain."

Chuckling, the man said, "So blunt, Selene? You must be interested already. I'll tell you, then. The world is becoming more and more threatened by dangers—some of which you are well-acquainted with, and others you aren't. So we—that is to say, the U.N. and my organization—are attempting to create a new incarnation of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen."

With a slight frown, Selene said, "I've never heard of them. Who or what were they?"

"The original League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was a group of… 'metahumans' who served the British Crown in the Victorian Era. They consisted of Allan Quartermain, Mina Harker, Dorian Gray, Michael Skinner, Captain Nemo, Thomas Sawyer, Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde. They reported to Mycroft Holmes—brother of the world's greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes. Essentially, the League was like a S.W.A.T. team of 'metahumans'."

Crossing her arms, Selene asked, "So you want to recreate this League? I don't believe you would've contacted me unless you were interested in recruiting, so… what's in it for me?"

With an amused tone in his voice, the man said, "We hadn't decided yet—if you join, then your reasons for doing so are purely your own. Once you're in, I'm sure we can reach an agreement."

Thinking it over for a moment, Selene held out her hand and said, "Okay, I'm in."

Fully stepping into the partial light, she could see that he had brown hair, wore a blue uniform, and had an eye patch. Shaking her hand, he said, "I'm Col. Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. It's good to have you with us."

________

_The Demon_

Ever since Liz had gotten pregnant, Hellboy had had to go on increasingly numerous—and more dangerous—missions, since he planned on retirement once the twins were born.

Sighing contentedly as Samaritan put a silver bullet through yet another werewolf, he couldn't help but wonder: "Just where the hell are all of these things coming from?"

However, that was the last one in the village—at least until another pack came in.

Upon return to the B.P.R.D. headquarters, Hellboy asked, "Hey, what's up with all the damned werewolf assignments? Why can't I at least get some variety? I mean come on, at least let me go thrash a bunch of goddamn zombies or something!"

Then, realizing that Liz would've gotten after him had she heard him cursing, reminded himself to keep better control of his language.

The receptionist merely stated, "Don't look at me, sir. I just give the assignments to whom I'm told. It's not _my_ fault you're getting a bunch of werewolf jobs!"

Swearing in his mind, but not out loud, Hellboy started heading for his quarters. He had planned to take a few weeks off to spend with Liz, when he heard Abe call after him.

"Hellboy, there's someone here to see you—Col. Fury!"

After a brief double-take, Hellboy looked over his shoulder and sure enough, saw the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Swearing so loud it'd be a miracle if Liz _didn't_ hear him, Hellboy turned and walked to the legendary ex-soldier.

"Look Fury, I'm not really in the mood for whatever it is you've got planned for me right now, so—"

"Hellboy, this assignment is unique. You don't have to have anything to do with it unless you choose to."

His interest peaked, the demon asked, "Oh yeah? What have you got in mind?"

Smirking, Fury knew that Hellboy was as good as in.

"Simple, really. I'm sure you've heard of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen—we're attempting to recreate them. We already have one member, but we won't name names until we have a full roster of six."

Truly, Hellboy _was_ as good as in, but he wanted to make it seem otherwise.

"If I join, the I want to know about what my contract's gonna involve. And I'm not going to tolerate repetitive missions!"

Smiling, Fury said, "Don't worry then. I'll personally see to it that you—as a group—get a variety of cases, and you'll have the option to back out at any time, considering family matters."

As he began stroking his chin, Hellboy saw Liz out of the corner of his eye, and she nodded to him. Thinking over it, he SHOULD have more professional freedom in the LXG than here at the BPRD.

Then, grinning, he made one condition for his recruitment.

"Only if I get to keep the Samaritan."

Laughing, Col. Fury and Hellboy shook hands.

_______

_The Agent_

As Maxwell Smart walked into the Chief's office, he was surprised to find a folder on the desk instead of any people.

Confused, he turned to leave before noting that the file said "FOR #86" on it.

Shrugging, he opened it and started to read the first paper.

"Agent 86, you now have a top-priority assignment. Our sister agency, S.H.I.E.L.D., is creating a new League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. You have been invited to join, and will do so. Your purpose on this assignment is to use the League's resources, whenever possible, to help combat the forces of KAOS. You, as well as an agent of the B.P.R.D., are also to provide the League with officiality. Agent #99 has been informed of this and will be your assistant. You will meet her on the train to Pittsburg at 7:00 tomorrow evening. You will give the sign, "New York Mets win double-header," and she will give the counter-sign "Yes and the score was 99-86." Once seated, Agent 99 will give you a briefing on the original League, as well as what little is known about the current one. What is known, however, is that you will (so far) be the only member that is fully human. Take utmost caution, keep your wits about you, and remember: the League isn't there just to fight KAOS. It's part of _your_ job to make certain that at least sometimes, you do.

Signed, the Chief (P.S. make sure you destroy this after you memorize it!)"

(**Whoever can identify which episode this is from gets a cyber-cookie. Whoever can tell me what was special about that episode that was unique to ONLY that episode gets a cyber-cake AND the next chapter dedicated to them**)

So, taking care to memorize as much of the message as he could, 86 took out his lighter and lit the paper on fire, threw it in the trash can (knowing that it had recently been fireproofed), picked up the folder, found his ticket enclosed, and went to the station.

That was at 6:37.

(Twenty-odd minutes later…)

Now on the train in a private compartment with 99, Max listened to what little information was available about the current League, while reading files on the original.

As someone knocked on the door, the CONTROL Agents hurried to put away their files before the newcomer said, "Don't bother. I'm the one who provided you with that intel anyway."

The man looked like a nondescript bum who probably used his last dime to pay for his ticket, before raising his hood and saying, "I'm Col. Nick Fury. Pleased to meet you two—99, 86."

Shaking hands with him, 86 said, "Well it's nice to meet you two, Colonel. So just who else is supposed to be on this new… League of Extraordinary Gentlemen?"

Chuckling, Fury said, "Right now, you're one of only three. Once you meet the other two, you'll each be given solo assignments to track down and try to persuade another prospective member to join. You will be given further information at the meeting point."

Leaning forward, Smart asked, "And if I may ask, just where is this meeting place, exactly?"

Deciding that it didn't matter _that_ much, Fury told him.

"An abandoned foundry on the outskirts of Pittsburg."

"I see…"

Nodding his head to the CONTROL Agents, Col. Fury left the car.

____________

_The Vigilante_

The ink moving over his face in an erratic, menacing pattern, it was easy to see just how frustrated Rorschach really was.

For three months, he'd been trailing the serial killer and rapist nicknamed the "Duke of Tears". There hadn't been too much luck recently, especially since the goddamned government was still hunting him.

An ex-Watchman he might have been, but even Rorschach wasn't able to both hunt the Duke of Tears _and_ evade the feds at once!

Hearing someone try to sneak up on him, Rorschach said, "Hrm. Too furtive. Makes you obvious. You want something." It wasn't a question.

Not bothering to turn around, Rorschach knew from the answering voice who it was—one of the most persistent of his would-be captors.

"You go straight to the point, don't you? I'm sure you've heard of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The truth is, I want you to join."

His face unreadable, Rorschach turned and asked, "Why would I?"

Smirking at him, Fury said, "Because then, you would be sponsored, rather than hunted, by the government. You wouldn't have to go soft. And think about it—you could help clean up the _world_, not just this city."

Rubbing his chin, Rorschach reached out his hand and asked, "When do I start?"

_______

_The Immortal_

Walking around in downtown Seattle, Methos suddenly felt the Buzz, though half-heartedly.

Turning around, he spotted a rather attractive woman standing in an alley. Considering how weak the Buzz had been, he knew she wasn't a full Immortal… probably a vampire, considering how utterly pale she was.

As he drew his longsword, he asked, "Okay, let's make this brief. You, for some reason, want me for something. So let's get on with it, so I know what I'm turning down."

Selene began circling the first Immortal, watching his reactions.

"You met the original League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, did you not? The Watchers have it on record—a couple of times, they sought you for advice. A new League is being formed; you've been invited."

Exiting the stance he'd been in, Methos thought about it for a couple of minutes. It was true, he'd met the original League once or twice—even fought with the fake Immortal Dorian Gray. Jekyll and Hyde had been two of his closest friends during that century…

Putting his sword away, he decided that he'd join this new League. He also decided that he'd probably lose his head because of it, too.

______

_The Devil Slayer_

Dante sat with his feet on the desk in his shop, Devil May Cry.

He was looking over potential jobs to go on, trying to find one that seemed like a decent challenge. For the last while, he'd been bored out of his mind.

So when a giant red guy with sawed-off horns and an arm of rock came through the door, he was thrilled.

"Hey there, Red! Anything interesting come up?"

Speaking around his cigar, Hellboy said, "Yeah, there's a new group formin' up, and I came to recruit ya."

Raising an eyebrow, Dante asked, "What kind of group?"

Grinning despite the cigar, Hellboy said, "A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen."

Whistling, Dante spun around in his chair for a moment, before asking, "And what would I do, in this League?"

Shrugging, Hellboy said, "I guess mostly the same kind of stuff you do now, except that you'd be workin' with us, and be takin' a lot more different kinds of jobs."

Grinning, Dante was on his feet in an instant as he shook hands with Hellboy and said, "Then what are ya waitin' for, Christmas—sign me up, dude!"

______

At an out-of-the-way warehouse in Ontario, the various members of the new League sat at a table across from each other.

At the head of this table sat Col. Fury; to his right were Selene, Rorschach, and Agent 86. To his left were Dante, Hellboy, and Methos.

"All right team, various threats—both paranormal and otherwise—are increasing in frequency and risk to civilians. Whether they be superpowered criminals, Lycans, Devils, etc., I've been authorized by the U.N. to create a specialized task force to deal with the situation."

Methos asked, "Okay, now that this so-called 'task force' is created, just what do you and the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. plan on doing with us?"

His face blank, Col. Fury said, "We've received intelligence reports about a plot to steal plans for a new type of nuclear reactor—one so powerful, that if it were used to power a weapon it could potentially annihilate the security of the free world. A group of Immortals trying to emulate the Four Horsemen have banded together and have already managed to get plans to the building. Their names are Alexei Gargarov, Tao-Shan, Shinji Minatori, and Jean DeWolffe. Your mission is to either capture or kill as many of the New Horsemen—as they call themselves—as you can."

Leaning forward in his chair, 86 asked, "But Col. Fury, if these guys are immortal, then how would we kill them?"

Swiveling in his seat, Methos said, "I can answer that. You see, Immortals—like myself—can't die from disease or aging… or any other reason, for that matter, unless our heads are cut off. When that happens, there is a Quickening, in which all the power and knowledge of the fallen Immortal is transferred to the victor. When something else that would've killed a normal person—such as being impaled in the gut, or being burned alive—happens, we still die, but it's only temporary; we'll just come back later."

Selene added, "And from what little I know personally, when a body part is severed from an Immortal, that part cannot be regenerated. However, other wounds are healed significantly faster than for humans."

Nodding his head, Methos began briefing the other members of the League about Immortals.

________

**Yes, I know that some of the OC Immortals' names are semi-unoriginal, but deal with it.**

**I'm having trouble with what kinds of missions to have the League go on. I'm also thinking of switching Agent 86 with L from 'Death Note', since A.) he's more recent, and B.) he's a better detective.**


End file.
